Detours

Good writing starts with good listening. Sometimes, the story worth sharing comes from asking one more question—and actually listening to the answer. I’m Angie Norris, and this is Side Hustle GPS. Today, we’re stopping in Storybook Valley to explore Interview-to-Article Writing: turning a conversation into an article that captures someone’s story, expertise, or perspective. Everybody has a story. But getting that story out of their head and onto a page? That’s where you can help. Shortly after ChatGPT came out, a tech company brought me a project that had been sitting unfinished for three years. They needed 25 case studies about work they’d done for major clients, including Mastercard, Build-A-Bear, Ameren, and Enterprise Rent-A-Car. The project kept getting passed around. Marketing, project managers, program directors, developers, customers—different people had pieces of the information, but the finished case studies weren’t happening. They did have project notes. They weren’t consistent, but they were written in a question-and-answer format, almost like interviews. There were stories in those notes. They just needed someone to bring them together. That’s where I came in. I used ChatGPT to help me build a ghostwriting process and turn that material into 25 case studies in a matter of days. It was still a lot of work. I had to make sense of the information, shape the stories, and review the writing. But AI helped me move through a project that had been stuck for years. The client was happy. I was paid very well. And the content didn’t stop at one version. We turned that material into different case study formats, interview content, PDFs, and presentation notes. One set of stories became multiple useful assets. That’s what I want you to see about this side hustle. A business owner might have years of expertise but struggle to write a LinkedIn article. A company might have happy customers but no written customer stories. Someone in your family might have a lifetime of memories they’d love to preserve. You can help turn those conversations into business profiles, expert articles, personal features, thought leadership—even the starting material for a memoir. And it begins with listening before you assume. Don’t decide what their story is before they’ve told you. Ask: What happened? What was difficult? What changed? Why did that matter? When something interesting comes up, follow it. Ask for an example. That’s often where the best part of the story is hiding. AI can help you organize a transcript, find themes, outline an article, and draft different versions. Your job is to make sure the finished piece accurately reflects what the person shared and still sounds like them. Your first money move? Choose one person with a story worth sharing. With their permission, record a short interview and turn it into a sample article they can review. Then use that sample to offer a clear service: “I’ll interview you and turn our conversation into an article you can share.” Start with one conversation and one finished piece. You can build from there. So, who do you know who has something valuable to say—but needs help putting it into words? Explore Interview-to-Article Writing in Storybook Valley at SideHustleGPS.com. Everybody has a story. Listen before you assume. You might uncover something worth sharing—and a service someone will pay you to provide.